Firsts
by OnlyYouForever
Summary: Georgetown-era Alicia and Will, and their firsts.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Happy Birthday **_**LexiTheAmatuer**_**! I took your love of all things Georgetown-era and wrote this for you. I hope you like it! **

**PS – Because there is a handful more in my brain, this can easily turn into a collection of 'firsts'. It's up to the birthday girl and all of you lovely readers if it happens.**

* * *

_White?_ She shakes her head. _Too innocent. _She adds the top to the growing pile on her bed. _Red?_ She tilts her head to the right, considering it before deciding against it. _Too sexy. _The dress flies across the room and lands on the foot of her bed. _Black?_ Her eyes widen. _Neckline is way too low. Pink?_ She rolls her eyes. _No way. Jeans? Skirt? Dress?_ One by one, articles of clothing fly from where she stands in her closet and land on or around her bed.

"Ow!"

She turned to see Owen standing at the entrance to her closet with two glasses of wine in his hand and her purple sweater on his head. Giggling, she rushed over and grabbed her sweater.

"I'm sorry." She said, accepting the glass he offered.

"Those buttons hurt, sis." He complained, rubbing his forehead. "What the hell are you doing?" he asked as he looked around at the mess of her usually immaculate bedroom.

Sighing, she walked over to her bed and sat on the edge. "I'm trying to find something to wear." Placing her glass on her nightstand, she rummaged through the clothes next to her. "I just can't seem to find the right thing." She whined.

Taking in his sister's anxiety for the first time since entering her room, he realized what this was about and gasped. "Oh my God! Tonight is the night, isn't it? The big first date with Mr. Georgetown?" She nodded. "Well, why didn't you call me for help? You can't do this on your own!" She glared at him in response. Placing his glass next to hers, he grabs the first thing he sees. "This. Wear this. With your 'fuck me' heels. The black stiletto ones." He says as he holds up her red dress.

"Owen! No! I can't wear that. Not with Will." She shook her head. "This is weird enough. Going out on a date with my best friend. I don't want to look like one of the sluts he usually goes out with."

"I've seen the way he looks at you. You have nothing to worry about. Trust me." Knowing his sister well enough, he changed his approach. "Where are you going? Do you know?"

"To the movies." She shrugged. "Maybe for a drink after? I don't know."

He nodded his head, decidedly. "Casual, it is." He started to go through the pile, shook his head and went back to her closet. Emerging with a pair of deep blue jeans, he tossed them to her as he made his way back to the pile. "Wear those. Your ass looks perfect in them." Finding what he searched for, he tossed the black top to her. "And wear the boots mom sent you." He put up his hand to stop her protest. "Alicia, please. Will you trust me? The outfit is simple, but sexy. Now get dressed so we can do your hair and makeup. Go." He says as he gently pushes her toward her bathroom.

* * *

An hour later, a nervous Will is making his way up to her apartment. His heart is racing and he slows his pace hoping to regain his composure before reaching her door. _What the hell is wrong with you, man? It's Alicia. Your best friend. _In reality, he knew that was precisely why he was so ridiculously nervous. He couldn't explain it, but she was special. Not like all of the other girls he's dated. It was important to him that she understood that. Reaching her door, he took a deep breath before knocking. Glancing at the bouquet of vibrantly colored frangipani in his right hand, he prided himself for having the local florist order them because he knew they were her favorite.

The door opened and his breath caught. He'd grown accustomed to seeing her in sweats or clothes that hung loosely from her body. Here she was, standing before him in jeans that hugged her curves, a blouse that showed more of her porcelain skin than he'd ever seen before and boots that made her beautiful legs look longer. She invited him in. Realizing that he still hadn't greeted her, he finally made eye contact and smiled. "Hey." He breathed. She smiled and he could swear his heart stopped beating for multiple seconds. Blinking, he remembered the flowers in his hand. "These are for you." He held the bouquet out to her.

"Frangipani! Will, these are my favorite. How'd you know?" She replied as she closed the door behind him.

"I think I remembered you mention it once." He looked away, shyly. _Get it together, you fool._

"You remembered that?" she glanced at him, curiously and he nodded, shrugging slightly. "Well, they're beautiful. Thank you." She smiled back at him. _What is it about that smile that makes my heart stop and send chills down my spine?_

"Here sis, let me grab those and put them in water." Owen said as he took the bouquet from her. "You two should get going."

"Yeah, movie starts soon, I know how you hate to be late for anything."

Chuckling, she reached for her purse which sat on the arm of her sofa before moving toward the door.

"You two have fun tonight." He turned his attention to Will. "Please do bring her home late. Or not at all. Whatever floats your boat." Alicia whipped around and glared at him, making Will laugh. "I love you." He said, placing a tentative kiss on her cheek. "Have fun." He repeated.

By the time they emerged from the movie theater hours later, any lingering nerves or awkward feelings were laid to rest when he tentatively grabbed her hand as they walked and she entwined their fingers in response. They walked for awhile, without any destination in mind, talking about any topic that came to either of their minds and sharing stories from their lives that had both of them in fits of laughter.

"I can laugh about it now, but I had no idea what to do with him in that moment." She said between giggles. "He was high and wouldn't shut up and my mom was drunk but my dad knew something was going on."

He laughed and looked around at the shops around them. "Hey, are you hungry? We could grab a bite to eat if you want."

Scrunching up her nose, she shook her head slightly. "Not really. Are you?"

They both glanced over at the family that passed them and eyed the children happily devouring their ice cream. Making eye contact, they both smiled. "Ice cream!" they said, in unison.

* * *

Placing his hand on the small of her back, he guided her out of the unusually busy for a late October night ice cream parlor and grabbed her hand in his again once outside. It was hard for him to ignore the feeling of electricity shooting through him whenever he touched her and he wondered if she felt it, too.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, the noise of the shop slipping farther away with every click of her heel meeting the concrete of the sidewalk. He thought he felt her shiver and glanced over at her. She looked up and smiled shyly. "Are you cold?" he asked her. She shook her head. He nodded and turned back to his cone. Feeling her tremble again, he stops walking and turns to her. "You're cold. Don't deny it. You didn't bring a sweater and you're eating ice cream."

"I'm fine, really." She insisted.

"Hold this." He handed her his cone and started to take his jacket off.

"Will, no, don't do that. It's not necessary." She tried to stop him, to no avail because he didn't listen.

He helped her into his jacket. "There. That's much better."

Smiling sweetly, she handed him his cone. "Thank you." She watched as he licked the ice cream. He looked at her, questioning her with his eyes. Taking a step forward, she closed the space between them. Glancing at him nervously, she raises herself on her toes and kisses him softly for the first time. Pulling away, she smiles when she sees that his eyes are closed. Opening them, he returns her smile. "I was jealous of your ice cream." She tried to explain her act of spontaneity.

"Is that so?" she nodded, smiling flirtatiously. "Well, in that case…" He grabbed what remained of her cone and tossed it into the nearest trash can with his. Rushing back, he pulled her to him. She laughed and shook her head. He took in how beautiful she looked in that moment; raven curls bouncing with the shake of her head; green eyes sparkling with delight. She took his breath away. "You have a good laugh." He said before leaning down to place his lips on hers. Reaching up, she placed her arms around his neck and ran her hand through his hair lightly, deepening their kiss. She pulled away slightly when she felt him tremble.

"Now you're cold."

He looked into her eyes and smirked. "That's not because I'm cold."

"Neither was I." she admitted to him, confirming that she, too, felt the electricity when they touched.

He placed his lips on hers again and she smiled into the kiss as he wrapped his arms around her tighter and slightly lifted her from the ground.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Safe to say everyone wanted me to continue this, so here you go!**

* * *

As the rain started to fall harder, she ran the rest of the way to the library. Shaking the water out of her hair as she walked in, it was no surprise to see Will in their usual spot. What did surprise her was the blonde perched on the edge of the table near his hand, practically throwing herself at him. Either he was oblivious to it or he was actually feeding into it, seeing as he was engaged in conversation with her. Overcome by a wave of…what exactly was she feeling? Jealousy? Embarrassment? Whatever it was, she shook it off and considered turning back around to leave, when Will noticed her.

"Leesh!" Someone shushed him and he waved at her, questioning her with his eyes. _Am I that obvious?_

Smiling, she waved back and made her way over to him as the blonde turned to eye her. Will pulled her chair out for her and grabbed her bag. On instinct, she reached up and kissed his cheek. _Real mature, Alicia. Are you back in high school? Feeling the need to stake your claim on your…I don't even know what to call him. I don't even know what we are. _"Hey." She said as she sat.

"You know Kelly, right?" he said, gesturing toward the blonde.

"I don't think we've met." Flashing her best fake smile, she turned in her direction.

"Umm, I should go back to my study group." She said as she jumped off of the table. _Please do._

"Alright. Good luck." He didn't even look at her.

"I hope I see you at Mike's party tonight." She said as she walked away.

_Did she really just do that? I'm sitting right here. _Looking back to Will, she gauged his reaction to the invitation. He didn't even seem to have heard her.

"New friend?" she asked.

"Hmm?"

"Kelly?" When he looked up from his notes and smirked at her, she realized it must have come out as mockingly as it sounded in her head. _Good job, Alicia. Not at all childish._

"She's not a friend." He stated simply before turning back to his notes.

She let a few minutes of silence go by. "Are you going to that party?" she winced at her own question.

He looked at her, visibly confused. "No. We're going out tonight, remember?"

_Right. But… _"If we weren't, would you go?" _Why did I ask that? _

Looking at her suspiciously, he put his pen down and placed his hand on her forearm, giving her his full attention. "What's going on, Leesh? Are you ok? Are…we…ok?"

_I don't know, Will. Are we a 'we'? Are you stopping everything you used to do, because of me? _She smiled. "Of course. It's nothing. I think I'm getting a cold, so my head is a mess." She lied, instead.

He looked relieved. "Well, with this ongoing rain, I'm not surprised." He looked down at the mess of books and notes in front of them before resuming eye contact. "Look, why don't we keep going, at least until the rain stops, and then we'll head out so you can rest a little bit."

She nodded. "Yeah, I think that's a good idea." She started to pick her damp curls up into a bun, when he reached out to stop her.

"Don't do that. If you're already getting a cold, wrapping up your wet hair won't help." She looked at him, clearly amused. "I grew up in a house of women, what do you expect?" he explained.

Smiling, she let her hair go and returned to her notes. After some time had passed, and a few more girls stopped to ask Will if he'd be at the party that night, she'd had enough. Slamming her book shut, cutting the redhead talking to Will off, she started to gather her things, placing them in her bag.

Will looked toward the nearest window. "Oh, good. The rain stopped. Come on, let's get you out of here." He stood from his chair.

"See you later, Will. I'll have a bottle of vodka waiting with your name on it." The redhead said as she walked away.

"No, Will. You should stay here and study a bit more. I'll be fine." Before he could protest, she continued. "But, I think maybe we should cancel our plans for tonight. I'm actually not feeling too good right now." She lied, somewhat.

"Oh." He looked hurt. _Dammit. That's not what I expected. _"Are you sure?"

_No, I'm not. _"Yes."

"Well, at least let me take you home." He insisted.

"It's ok. Really. I'll be fine." Hating the look in his eyes, she leaned forward and kissed his cheek before turning to leave. Leaving him very confused and wondering what was bothering her.

* * *

As he watched her rush out, he ran his hand through his hair and sat back down. _What the hell was that? Did I do something wrong? _Running the past couple of hours over in his head, he couldn't find anything. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he looked up and saw Kelly.

"Where'd your study buddy go?" she asked.

"My…" _What was she now? My girlfriend? I want her to be, but if I label her without first seeing how she feels, I'll never live it down. _"Best friend, Alicia, was feeling sick and went home." He replied, shaking her hand off.

Not taking the hint, she inched closer to him, making him stand and start to pack his things. "Hey man, you coming tonight or what?" he looked up to see Mike across the table.

Looking from Mike to Kelly and back, he shook his head, firmly. "No. I'm busy. You all have fun." He said as he walked away and left the building. Once outside, he glanced around, hoping to see Alicia, but she was long gone. As he walked to his apartment, he once again played the day's events over in his head, searching for any sign that he messed up or said something wrong. Throwing his bag onto his sofa, he immediately reached for his phone and dialed the familiar number.

"Hey, mom."

"Will, honey! What a surprise. How are you?"

Sighing, he sat down before answering. "I'm…ok. It's been raining for the past few days, so that sucks."

"Uh-huh. What's wrong?" She could always read him like a book.

"Why do you think something is wrong?"

"I know you, William." He chuckled. "How is everything with that sweet girl you're always going on about?"

_Bingo. _"Um…well…" he hesitated. In reality, he actually didn't know. "I don't know, mom."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"Things were going fine, great even." And they really were. Ever since their first official date a few weeks ago, they were even more inseparable. He was enjoying every minute of it and he thought she was, too.

"But…" she urged him to continue.

"I don't know." He repeated. "We met up today for a study session and she wasn't herself."

"What did you do to her?"

"Mom! What..? I didn't do anything." He replied, defensively.

"Did you ask her about it?"

"I did. Kind of. She cancelled our plans for tonight and said she wasn't feeling good."

"Well, honey. Maybe, she really is sick. Why don't you go check on her?"

"Should I?"

"I'll tell you exactly what to do. Grab a pen and paper; I don't want you getting any of this wrong."

Doing as he was told, he listened to his mother and wrote everything down.

* * *

Letting himself in to her apartment, Owen called out as he shook the water from his coat. "I'm here to the rescue, with wet pizza and cold beer!" She emerged from her bedroom, shrugging into her robe. "What happened?"

"Nothing happened." She answered as she took the beer from his hand and took a sip.

"You're supposed to be on a date with Will tonight, but you called me to come over for movie night. Obviously, something happened. Spill."

Sighing heavily, she curled up in the corner of her sofa. "I don't know, Owen. I'm…conflicted."

"Why?"

She explained what she witnessed at the library and shared her concerns with him. "Are you guys…you know…exclusive?" he offered her a slice of pizza, to which she declined.

"No."

"Well, then of course girls are going to continue to hit on him, sis. What's the holdup?"

She shrugged. "We've never talked about it. About us."

He put his pizza slice down. "Is the sex bad?"

"Owen! No… I mean… I don't know." Her voice trailed off with her admission.

"Wait. You mean to tell me that you and Mr. Georgetown have not done the deed, yet? What is wrong with you?"

"Hey!" she said, offensively. He put his hands up as way of an apology. "He hasn't made a move yet."

"And? Why are you waiting for him to do it?" she looked at him, shocked at his unvoiced suggestion. "Don't be such a prude. Look, that guy is crazy about you. You need to stop over thinking everything and live in the moment a little bit, sis."

"I can't do that." She whined. "I'm not even sure he wants to anyway."

_Knock. Knock. Knock. _

She looked him, accusingly. "I only invited you over. Not any of your boyfriends."

"Excuse me." He wiped his hands with a napkin before rising to answer her door. "I didn't invite anyone over, thank you very much."

He opened the door to a soaking wet Will, who stood there holding a shopping bag in one hand and a bowl in the other. "Hey."

"Hey there, Mr. - I mean, Will."

"Is…Is Alicia home?"

"Will?" she appeared behind Owen. "What are you…? Oh, you're soaked. Come inside." He followed her into her kitchen where he placed the bowl and bag on the counter. "What is all of this?" she asked as she gestured for him to remove his wet coat.

"Umm… I…I picked up some medicine and juice for you. I couldn't remember if you liked orange or apple more, so I bought both. But, my mom swears you need to drink a lot of vitamin C. Oh and tea. You have honey, right? She said to give you that, too." he rambled.

"Your mom?"

He looked away, shyly. "Yeah. I called her. She suggested I make this soup for you. She used to make it all the time for me and my sisters when we were sick." He gestured toward the bowl, nervously. "So, she gave me the recipe… If you don't like it, it's ok, I probably messed it-"

"You…you did this for me?" she cut him off.

"Of…of course. You said you didn't feel good, so…"

"Shit!" They both turned their attention to Owen, who was dramatically looking at his watch as he rushed to grab his coat from the other room. "I'm late." He explained as he kissed her cheek. "I'll call you tomorrow." Turning back once he was at her front door, he yelled back. "Hey Will, a little FYI for you, she likes to sleep on the left side of the bed!" With that, he was gone.

He chuckled when he saw her roll her eyes. Turning her attention back to him, "You really made this for me?"

"Why are you so surprised?"

"I just…I mean…I figured you would be at that party." She admitted, avoiding eye contact.

"What? Why would you think that?" She shrugged in response. "Leesh, we were supposed to go out tonight and then you told me you didn't feel good. You think I would go party instead of taking care of you?" He took a few steps toward her. "What's really going on? I know you. You're not yourself today."

Shaking her head, she exhaled. "You…and the women. Us." She waved her hand in between them. "I don't know."

"Me and the women? What women? Are you having doubts? I mean…do you not want to do…this…us?"

Finally making eye contact, "What do you want, Will? Do you know?"

"You." The lack of hesitation in his immediate response, which was laced with confidence, made her heart stop before picking back up at double the speed. "Leesh...I don't know what's going on in that beautiful head of yours, but if you have any doubt of my intentions with you…" he sighed. "I only want you. I don't care about anyone else. Just you. But, if this isn't what you want…"

Closing the gap between them, she quickly reached up and pulled him into a kiss that held more passion than any they had shared yet. Pulling her closer to him with one hand, he wrapped the other in her hair, deepening the kiss. Coming up for air, she leaned her head on his shoulder, both of them breathless. It was in that moment that she realized there wasn't anything she wanted more than him. Looking into his eyes, she made one simple demand. "Make love to me."

Clearly shocked by her bold request, he grew flustered. "What? Are you…are you sure that's what you want?"

Deciding that actions speak louder than words, she took hold of his hand and led him to her bedroom. Closing the door behind them, she removed her robe. As she turned back to face him, she removed her shorts and underwear. He stopped her hands as they reached for the hem of her t-shirt to lift it. "I want to do that."

Pulling her into another kiss, he moved them to her bed. As their tongues found each other, her hands roamed down his back, grabbed a hold of his shirt and pulled it off of him. His own hand lightly caressed her thigh and her side as he lifted her shirt from her body. He kissed her ear and started a trail of feather light kisses along her jaw line until he took her mouth in his again. Her hands found their way to the front of his jeans, unbuttoning them and tugging at the zipper. Quickly, he stood and removed his jeans and boxers. She felt herself shiver at the loss of contact with his body.

Moving back toward her, he left a trail of wet kisses starting from her hip bone, along her stomach, stopping to give equal attention to her breasts, causing her to moan in pleasure. As he resumed his trail of kisses to her neck, she felt him against the inside of her thigh and immediately the heat pooled between her legs. She wanted him inside of her. Wrapping her legs around him, she lightly ran her hand along the muscles in his back while the other was in his hair, guiding him to bring his mouth to hers. Slowly, he entered her, making her gasp and moan in pleasure from finally getting the connection she yearned for. Looking into her eyes, he started a slow, but steady rhythm. Soon enough, the thunderstorm that raged outside her windows were no match for their moans as they climaxed together for the first time.


	3. Chapter 3

The clap of thunder immediately followed by an onslaught of pouring rain pulled him out of his dreamy state. Turning his head to his left, his eyes fell on Alicia peacefully sleeping next to him, her arm draped across his torso. He smiled, remembering their night together. Taking in how beautiful she looked next to him, he tried to grasp the fact that he was actually waking up next to her, their naked limbs entangled. It wasn't the first time he had spent the night with her. But, never like this. This time was different. This wasn't a result of all night cramming for an exam. They made love last night. As he reached over to gently pull her closer to him, the early morning sky lit up as lightning flashed across it; the immediate boom that followed causing her to wake with a start.

She glanced around the room, confused by the reason for the sound and sighed when she saw the pouring rain outside of her window. Groaning her displeasure, she snuggled closer to him and laid her head in the crook of his neck. "When is this rain going to stop?" she complained.

Feeling her shiver, he pulled her even closer and wrapped the blanket around them tighter. "It's still early. Go back to sleep, maybe the sun will be out when you wake up again." He said before kissing the top of her head; his hand lazily caressing her bare back.

Glancing up at him through her eyelashes, she smiled. "This feels good. Waking up with you."

Lacing his fingers with those of her hand on his chest, "It does." He raised her hand to his lips and softly kissed her fingers. "Know what else feels good?"

"Hmm?"

"What we did last night." He could feel her smiling and knew she was blushing.

Giggling, she reached up and placed a soft kiss on his lips. "I might need a little more convincing." She whispered as she ran her finger across his lips.

"Is that so?" he looked at her, shocked.

"Mmhmm." She mumbled as she started a trail of light kisses on his chest up to his neck, while she moved her body on top of his. His body immediately reacted under her causing her to stop her kisses, picking up her head to look at him. "I mean, that is, if you want to, of course." She teased. Before she knew what was happening, she was under him and he had her hands entwined with his above her head. "Hey! That's not fair!" she squirmed under him, making him groan.

"Stop moving or we're going to end up breaking your bed." He warned her.

"Is that a promise?" she grinned wickedly at him and he could no longer hold back. Taking her mouth in a passionate kiss, he enters her at the same time causing her to moan against his lips and arch her body up to meet his.

* * *

Hours later, she awoke to the sunlight streaming in through her window. Smiling, she reached over and frowned when she found the other side of her bed empty. Quickly sitting up, she looked around her bedroom, confused. _Where was he?_ Glancing down at her still naked body, she looked around and spotted her t-shirt draped over her headboard. Putting it on, she rose from her bed and made her way out of the room. Looking around her apartment as she walked, she slowed her pace when she heard noises coming from her kitchen. Slowly, she rounded the corner, entered her kitchen and stopped. A smile spread across her lips when she saw him, clad only in his boxers, standing at her stove. Quietly, she made her way over to him and wrapped her arms around him from behind, startling him.

Giggling, she placed a soft kiss on his shoulder blade. "Did I scare you?"

"Aw man! Did I wake you up?" he glanced back at her quickly. "I tried really hard to be quiet." He quickly removed the pan from the burner and placed it on the one he hadn't yet lit. Facing her, he smiled and pulled her closer to him.

Smiling back, she wrapped her arms around his neck. "No. You didn't wake me. I was wondering where you were, though."

Eyeing her suspiciously, he sighed. "You thought I left, didn't you?" She shook her head, avoiding eye contact. "Leesh…" he warned.

"Maybe." She admitted. "But it was only for a split second. I promise." She kissed him in an effort to halt any tension from rising and when she felt him sigh into the kiss, she knew it did the trick.

"For what it's worth…" he started when their lips parted. "I debated whether or not to stay in bed watching you sleep or come make you breakfast to bring you in bed."

She looked behind him. "You made me breakfast?"

"Yes, I did. Well…I still am, actually." He admitted. "Why don't you go sit down?"

She shook her head. "I'll make us some coffee while you finish." As she rummaged in her cupboard looking for the container of coffee she'd just purchased, she heard him clear his throat.

"So…um…there's something I've wanted to talk to you about." Her movements halted and she stood paralyzed in her position, afraid to look at him, fearing the worst. "This…I mean us…" Slowly, she turned to him with a curious expression on her face only to be met by his back. "I like it." She felt her body sigh with relief. "Like I told you last night, I'm not interested in anyone else." He looked back at her. "I was just wondering…you know…if you felt the same way."

She smiled at him. "I do." She replied, without hesitation.

Returning her smile, he turned to walk in her direction as she started to move toward him. "Then, how about we…" he shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know; make this thing between us official."

"William Gardner, are you asking me to be your girlfriend?" she teased.

"Yes. Yes, I am." He replied seriously as he wrapped his arms around her. "Alicia Cavanaugh, will you be my girlfriend." She beamed up at him as she reached up and kissed him in response. "Is that a yes?" he asked against her lips.

Giggling, she nodded. "Yes, I will be your girlfriend." She answered as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him again; this time with more passion.

Groaning, he pulled away from her slightly. "I have been trying to ignore it since you walked in here, but…" His hands roamed up and down her back. "I, and my body, am incredibly aware of the fact that you are only wearing a t-shirt right now."

Biting her lower lip, she lightly ran her hands down his chest. "Funny, that's exactly how I'm feeling right now." She said as her fingertips came to a stop at the top of his boxers.

"That's not helping." He whispered, before pulling her into another heated kiss.

Caught up in their moment, they failed to hear the door to her apartment open. "Oh, whoa! Whoa!"

Spinning around, she stared back, eyes wide. "Owen! What are you doing here?"

Ignoring her question, he smirked in their direction. "Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Rolling her eyes, she tried to pull her t-shirt down farther. He glanced behind them. "I think you're burning the bacon." He informed them, still smirking.

She tried to walk away to check, but Will's arm was suddenly around her waist, stopping her. "No no no. Don't move." She looked back at him confused.

He pulled her against his body and that's when she realized what he meant. "Oh." Blushing, she avoided eye contact with her brother as Will guided her out of the kitchen. "Owen, will you finish this up so we can go put some more clothes on?" she said over her shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah. Go have sex." He said as he walked over to the stove.

Unable to contain their laughter anymore, they rushed into her bedroom giggling and locked the door behind them.

* * *

Shielding his eyes from the sun with his hand, he searched for Alicia along the school grounds. With the rain having finally let up, it seemed like everyone needed a change of scenery and decided to study outside, despite the brisk fall air. Finally spotting her sitting in the grass on the opposite side of where he stood; elbows on her knees, nose in a book, he smiled as he rushed over to join her. Fully aware that she was not the biggest fan of public displays of affection, he still could not help but creep up behind her to wrap his arm around her shoulders, pulling her back toward him to steal a quick kiss from her lips.

She gasped lightly and swatted him with her book. "You scared me, silly." She smiled down at him as he lay down in front of her.

He grinned and placed his hand on her knee. "Did you start without me?"

"Hi, Will." She looked up as a group of girls passed, waving at him. Not bothering to look their way, he put his hand up as way of a response.

"Leesh?"

"Hmm?" she looked back at him.

Arching an eyebrow, he smirked at her. "Studying. Did you start without me?"

"Oh. Ugh." She rolled her eyes. "I tried, but those guys and their music over there…" she pointed to the left of them. "Kept distracting me."

"So you decided that reading…" He plucked the book she was reading out of her hands to glance at the title. "Anna Karenina, for what, the fourth time, was a better option?" he teased.

"Yes." She snatched her book back. "It's a lovely story." She defended herself.

He chuckled at her. "You're cute, you know that?"

"Shut up." Blushing, she looked away to the right of them. "What took you so long anyway?"

Rising to lean on his elbow so that he was eye level with her, "That's what I want to talk to you about." She turned back to face him. "What are you doing for Thanksgiving?"

She shrugged. "Probably going home, why?"

"Well, I was on the phone with my mom…that why I took so long…and," he noticed her eyes glance behind him. "Woman, I'm trying to talk to you."

"Excuse me? Woman?"

"I knew that would get your attention." He teased.

She glared at him, playfully. "Well, I'm sorry that your fan club trying to get your attention happens to be rather amusing."

Again, he didn't bother to look. "You know, there is a way to get them to stop. All my _girlfriend_ has to do is…"

"Make out with you like a couple of high school kids?" she finished. He wiggled his eyebrows, making her laugh loudly. He loved the sound of her laugh. "I think I'll pass on giving everyone a free show."

Just then he heard the beginning notes of a song he knew all too well, coming from the group she had previously pointed out. He smiled. _I could not have planned this better, if I tried. _

"Ahhh, perfect timing!" he exclaimed as he rose to kneel in front of her, snapping his fingers along to the music.

She looked at him suspiciously. "What are you doing?"

"_I've got sunshine, on a cloudy day."_

"When it's cold outside, I've got the month of May." He started to sing along, badly.

"No no no. Oh God. What are you doing?" she hissed as she looked around them.

"I guess, you'd say…" he sang louder, gaining the attention of everyone around them. He stood, towering over her now. "What can make me feel this way?"

"Will! Oh my God." She tried to bury her head in her hands, but he quickly grasped her hand, pulling her up and into his arms, making her dance with him.

"_My girl…"_

"Talkin' bout my girl…" he continued, loudly.

She glared at him. "I think you've made your point now. What were you saying about your mom?" she asked, trying to stop his embarrassing serenade.

"I've got soooooo much honey…"

Unable to contain her laughter any longer, she burst into giggles and placed her finger over his lips to shush him. "Ok, ok…stop!"

"I've got a sweeter song, than the birds in the trees." He continued.

She looked around at everyone staring at them and shook her head, sighing. "Alright, Gardner. You win." She whispered, looking up into his eyes.

"What do I win?" he asked as he pulled her closer to him.

"Shut up and kiss me." Not wasting a second, he leaned down, eager to kiss her for the first time in public the way he did behind closed doors, causing the crowd watching them to cheer.

"_I guess, you'd say.  
What can make me feel this way?  
My girl."_

* * *

**AN: Super cheesy, I know. But, I couldn't help it. **


	4. Chapter 4

"Are you sure your mom wants me to join you? You're not just saying that?" she asked again as she lay her arm across him.

Will sighed into the darkness of her bedroom. "For the millionth time, yes." He replied before kissing her forehead.

"I'm driving you nuts, I know. I'm sorry, it's just…this is the first time I will be meeting your family and I want to make sure everything is right."

"Stop worrying. Everything is perfect. You're perfect. They're going to love you just as much as I do." His eyes popped open in shock. Feeling her stiffen slightly in his arms, he knew she'd heard it. _Why couldn't she have fallen asleep already? Do I say something? No. Don't say anything. _"Um, I mean…" _Shut. Up._

She picked up her head and pulled herself up, placing a soft kiss on his lips. "Now, who's the one worrying?" It was dark, but he could still see her smile as she resumed her position in his arms.

Deciding to take that as a hint that he should shut up, he kissed the top of her head, inhaling the scent of her shampoo and soon followed her into sleep. What felt like hours later, he woke with a start, causing her to leave his side and roll over, grumbling in her sleep. He heard noise coming from outside of her bedroom and realized it was probably what woke him. Gently, so as not to wake her, he rose from her bed to search in the dark for any article of clothing to throw on. Locating his sweatpants, he quickly put them on and quietly opened her bedroom door.

Following the sounds to the kitchen, he finds Owen rummaging through her refrigerator, muttering to himself. "Hey. Trying to give your sister a heart attack?"

Owen quickly stood upright, holding his hand to his heart. "You scared the crap out of me!"

"Shhh! Alicia is sleeping." He said as walked over and hit the light switch, illuminating them in bright light, making both of them squint.

"Hmph. Of course you're here. There goes my plan of curling up next to her in bed." He muttered.

Sensing something was wrong, he took two beers out of the refrigerator and opened them up, handing one to Owen, gesturing for him to sit at the table with him. "What's up?"

Crossing his arms and sitting back in his chair, Owen eyed him with suspicion. "What are you doing with my sister?"

To say the question took him by surprise was an understatement. "Excuse me?"

Owen shrugged. "I may be younger, but I still fiercely protect my sister. I know there are a lot of girls that would love to be her. So…do I have to worry about having to dry her tears because you hurt her?"

Will smirked at this first glimpse into how much he loved his sister. "Look, maybe you're right. Maybe there are lots of girls that would love to be her; I have no idea because I only have eyes for Alicia. That's it. She's it for me. I'm not going to hurt her." He decided to stop there, not wanting to reveal anything more without first telling Alicia how he felt about her.

Accepting his response, he nodded his head and took a sip of his beer before smiling back at him. "Yeah. I knew that. It shows. I just wanted to hear it."

He shook his head, chuckling at him. "So…Want to tell me why you're here in the middle of the night?"

He sighed and leaned forward on the table. "You're taking my sister away from me."

"Owen, you're her brother. I could never take her away. Nor, would I want to."

"Nooooo. I mean for Thanksgiving. Our parents have been fighting a lot lately. Alicia is the one who keeps me sane when we're around them at times like this." He explained.

"Oh. I see. I'm sorry, man. I had no idea. Alicia didn't tell me."

"Well, she doesn't actually know yet how bad it is right now." Taking another sip of his beer, he shrugged. "It's ok. You guys leave in the morning, right?" Will nodded. "I'll drop you guys off at the airport and come back here to apartment sit for my sister while you're gone."

"Wait. Aren't you going back home to spend Thanksgiving with your folks?" Will asked, confused.

Owen shook his head. "No. With everything going on, I suggested my mom not cook and she was eager to comply."

Taking in this new information, Will thought about how nervous Alicia was and how he was not comfortable with her brother being alone for the holiday. Knowing full well that he should probably run this by her first, he made the decision on his own and made a promise to brace himself for her reaction later. "No way. You're not staying here. You're coming with us."

Obviously surprised by this, Owen sat up straight in his seat and looked at Will, curiously. "What? No. You guys go ahead with your plans and spend the holiday with your family." He waved his hand at him.

"We will. You're coming with us." He put his hand up to stop his objection. "I don't want to hear it. Don't worry about Alicia; she'll be fine with it." Finishing off his beer, he rose from his seat and placed the empty bottle in the trash. "Crash on the sofa. I'll grab you a pillow and blanket."

"Will," he smiled when he turned to look at him. "Thanks."

"No problem, man."

* * *

Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled when she felt Will's arm around her. This was a feeling she never tired of; waking up in his arms. Glancing at the clock on her nightstand, she saw that the alarm was set to go off shortly and groaned lightly in response. As much as she hated it to do it, she gently removed his arm from around her waist and rose from the bed. Grabbing her robe on her way, she headed to the bathroom to shower.

As she let the water run over her, she heard the door open and before she had a chance to grasp her bearings and check, Will stepped in behind her. She turned quickly, slipping on the wet floor and he reached out to grab her before she fell, pulling her close to him. "Whoa. Where are you going so quickly?" he teased.

Flustered, she looked up and took in his bed head, his sleepy puppy dog eyes and boyish grin. "I…I'm not…" she took a deep breath. "What are you doing in here?" she whispered.

Grinning wider, he eyed her up and down, making her blush. "I thought…" he kissed her neck softly. "We'd save time…" he kissed the spot behind her ear. "If we showered together." He said before leaning in to place a soft kiss on her lips.

Glancing up at him, she smiled. "That's not showering."

"Yes, it is." He said as he started to move her toward the wall. "It's showering you with kisses. Same thing." He shrugged, nonchalantly.

She giggled and shook her head as she raised her arms to place them around his neck. "You're lucky I set the alarm for much earlier than we needed to be awake." She gasped as her warm body met the cold tile of the wall.

"I know." He said before taking her mouth in a passionate kiss and lifting her from the ground. She moaned into the kiss as she wrapped her legs around him.

/

She stood by her bed, adding the last of her toiletries into her bag. "Are you sure you packed everything you need?"

"Yes. I promise." he wrapped his arms around her from behind and placed a light kiss on her neck. "Owen is here."

She turned quickly. "What? When did he get here?"

"Last night around 2."

Her eyes widened. "That's so late. Is he alright?"

Moving his head from side to side as if trying to find the right words, "He is…or was…a little upset."

"Oh no." She moved for the door. "Why didn't you tell me? Or wake me up when he came last night?"

Quickly, he maneuvered himself between her and the door. "Hold on. Before you go out there, let me at least bring you up to speed." She sighed and looked at him, urging him to continue. "Apparently, your parents are not getting along much right now." She looked away, but before she could move, he wrapped his arms around her. "He came here with the intention of taking us to the airport and coming back here to stay while you're gone."

"But…what about…?"

"He says your mom isn't cooking." She didn't reply nor look up. "Look babe, I know you might get upset at me for this…" she looked up to meet his gaze. "But, I told him that he's coming with us."

"You…what?"

"There's no way I can let us leave him here alone on a holiday. Besides, I know you're nervous about meeting my family so I thought that maybe having him with you would help." She didn't know what to say. "Look…" he sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "If you want, I can just tell my mom I came down with the flu or something and we can stay here with him." He offered.

"Will…" Smiling, she gently cupped his face and kissed him. "Thank you." She said as she placed her arms around his neck. "This means so much to me. You know how much I love my brother. I don't know what's going on with my parents, but I do know that it bothers him and I hate when he gets upset." Her voice cracking and feeling tears form in her eyes, she kissed him again.

"Hey, hey…no crying. I'm here for you, in every way, for whatever reason. That extends to your family, too." He told her, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.

Looking into his eyes and seeing the emotion in them for her, she made a decision about something she'd been struggling with long before they'd even started officially dating. "I love you."

The expression of shock that went across his face was hard to miss, but immediately followed by the biggest smile she'd ever seen on his face. "I love you, too, Leesh." It felt good saying it, finally. It felt even better hearing it from him. She noticed how he couldn't stop smiling as he leaned in to kiss her again, this time showing her how he felt for her and taking her breath away in the process. Reaching behind him for the doorknob, he reluctantly pulled away. "We should leave this room or we'll never go anywhere." Giggling, she followed him out.

"Oh look, the lovebirds have emerged to join me for breakfast." Owen commented from the kitchen.

"Aww, you made breakfast?" she said as she hugged him tighter than usual. "You didn't have to do that."

Dismissing her with a wave of his hand, he shook his head. "It's the least I can do."

"I should call to see about getting you on our flight." She said before snatching a slice of bacon from the plate.

"You know what? Why don't we just drive there?" she looked at Will, her eyes wide. "We have plenty of time and getting a last minute ticket will be nearly impossible and way too expensive." He said as he walked over to the coffee pot. "You even have the coffee ready! Way to go, man." He said as poured two mugs for him and Alicia.

"How long have you been awake?" she asked Owen.

Taking a deep breath, he turned to look at them. "Well, something you should know." He looked from her to Will and back, smirking. "Sound bounces off bathroom walls and echoes very loudly." He laughed at their expressions as she gasped, turning bright red and threw the piece of bacon she was munching on at him.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I am SO sorry for the long delay in updating this story. Hope you guys are still with me!**

* * *

"I have the heat on full blast. How are you still cold?" Will looked at her as they pulled into the gas station. She still wore her coat with her fluffy scarf wrapped around her neck. Glancing his way, she shrugged and put her gloves on.

"That's what I would like to know. I'm dying back here!" Owen complained, fanning himself. "Can we turn it down?"

"Not if she's still cold." Pulling up to the gas pump, he turned off the car and looked at her sympathetically. "I'll try to do this quickly so I can put the heat back on for you, ok?" She nodded in response. "We don't have that much longer to go. Do you want something to drink or snack on?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm fine."

"Umm...why don't I pump the gas and you can run in to the store?" Owen suggested. "That way she's not without heat for too long and I can get some air." He added.

"You sure?"

He nodded. "Just grab me something while you're in there?" he said as he climbed out of the car.

"Of course." He looked at Alicia after Owen closed the door. "I'll be right back." He moved to get out.

"Wait." He turned back. "Let me give you money for Owen's stuff."

Stopping her, he leaned over and placed a quick kiss on her lips. "Try not to miss me too much." He grinned as he exited the car and watched her through the window as he passed in front of it.

Hearing the car door open behind her, she turned to see Owen poke his head in. "You need to calm down, sis."

"What are you talking about?"

"You are letting your nerves take over. The closer we get to his family, the lower your body temperature seems to drop. Stop freaking out. It's going to be fine."

Exhaling, she looked away. She knew he was right. "What if they hate me?"

"That's impossible. Besides, the way he is around you? I think it's contagious, because even I like you more."

"Hey!" she reached back and swatted at him.

He backed away quickly, laughing. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I was just kidding."

She glared at him. "Close the door, you're letting all of the heat out." She ordered before turning to see Will walking toward them. Feeling the smile spread across her lips, she tried to chase away her nerves with happy thoughts. Specifically, thoughts of that morning in her shower.

Quickly, Will got into the car and slammed the door shut behind him. Smiling, he looked her way. "You ok? I tried to rush."

"I'm fine." She nodded toward the cup in his hand. "Needed some caffeine? I can drive if you're tired."

"No. This is for you. Hot chocolate. Extra hot, extra chocolate. Just how you like it." He said as he handed it over to her.

She could feel her smile grow wider as she took the cup from him. "You remembered." She replied softly.

"Of course I did. That's my job."

Leaning toward him, she placed a soft kiss on his lips. "Thank you." She whispered. Smiling in response, he pulled her toward him for a more passionate kiss, taking her breath away.

"Oh God, you two." Owen rolled his eyes as he got into the car and closed the door. "I knew there had to be a reason the windows were starting to fog."

"Shut up." Alicia muttered as she pulled away and Will started the car.

"He does have a point." Will playfully pointed out as he gestured toward the windshield, making her blush.

Reaching over to turn the heat up again, he was surprised when she placed her hand on his. Looking over, he met her eyes and she softly shook her head. "I'm actually pretty warm now." She whispered so that Owen didn't hear and raised her eyebrows so that he got her point. Smirking, he pulled his hand away and put the car in drive taking them back on the road.

"What was that, sis? I couldn't hear you back here." Owen teased.

Rolling her eyes, she grabbed the bag Will placed on her lap and threw it back, hitting him in his chest. "Why don't you find something to snack on in there and stop bugging me?"

* * *

Alicia inhaled deeply in an effort to calm her nerves as Will pulled into the driveway and parked. Looking behind her, she saw that Owen had fallen asleep. She watched as Will turned the car off and unbuckled his seatbelt. As she moved to do the same with hers, he took her hand in his. Sitting back in her seat, she glanced over to find him smiling at her as he raised her hand to his lips and kissed it softly.

"Don't be so nervous. They're going to love you." He assured her.

Opening her mouth to protest, she stopped herself and smiled, shaking her head. "Not sure I will ever get used to how well you know me."

Chuckling, he kissed her hand again before leaning in to place a soft kiss on her lips, feeling her relax as he did. "We should go in before you freeze to death."

"Or before you two steam up the windows again. Do you even remember that I'm here?" Owen complained as he opened the door and climbed out of the car.

"Oh joy, look who's awake." She muttered as she opened her own door.

Walking around to her side of the car, he reached for her hand and led them into his home. They were immediately greeted by the sound of hurried footsteps on the stairs. "Will!" Aubrey exclaimed as she leapt over the last few steps and ran toward him, arms outstretched.

"Hey, kiddo!" he wrapped his little sister in a tight bear hug. She peered over at his guests. "This is Alicia and her brother Owen." He informed her. "This is my little pain…I mean…Aubrey." He joked.

"Hey! That's not very nice." She looked up at him, furrowing her brows before turning her attention back to Alicia when she heard her speak.

"It wasn't." she scolded Will before looking back at her, smiling. "Nice to meet you, Aubrey. I've heard so much about you."

Looking back up to Will, "Is she your girlfriend?" she asked him. He nodded, smiling. "She's really pretty." She whispered, loudly.

"She's beautiful." They heard behind them.

"Mom!" Will rushed over to hug her.

"Hi honey." She squeezed him back. "I'm so happy to see you."

Moving out of her embrace, he reached for Alicia. "Mom, this…is Alicia." He declared with a hint of pride in his tone.

Reaching out her hand, "It's such a pleasure to finally meet you, Mrs. Gardner."

"Oh sweetheart, the woman that has turned my only son into a blubbering mess deserves a hug." She remarked as she gently embraced her. "And please," she started as she pulled away and grabbed a hold of her hands. "Call me Ellen."

"Thank you. And thank you for having us." She turned to her brother. "This is Owen."

"Nice to meet you, ma'am." He said as he shook her hand.

"William? Aubrey? Where are your manners? Take their coats." She eyed her children as they moved to do as she ordered, mumbling their apologies. Linking her arm with Alicia's, she led her toward the kitchen. "Now, if it's ok with you, I'd like to get to know the woman that has finally captured my William's heart. You must be hungry after that drive. How about a late lunch?"

Feeling her cheeks redden, she smiled and nodded. "Sure. Thank you."

"Mom, where's Sara?" Will asked as he followed them, Owen and Aubrey behind him.

"She'll be here soon. Why don't you boys get your bags out of the car? Give us a little girl time." Will glanced at Alicia who smiled and nodded slightly as her way of telling him she would be fine. "Oh William, surely you can bear to be away from her for five minutes?"

"Actually, I don't think he can. At least I've never seen it." Owen said.

"Is that so?" his mother asked, eyeing him.

"Will is in love! Will is in love!" Aubrey sang loudly.

"Bags. Got it." He said backing out of the kitchen and pulling Owen with him. "Thanks a lot."

Alicia giggled as she watched them go. Noting how he blushed and didn't make eye contact, she couldn't stop smiling. Turning her attention back to Ellen, "Can I help with anything?" she offered.

"Oh no, honey. You sit. Relax. Aubrey can help." Alicia stifled a laugh when she saw her roll her eyes at her mother. "Besides, it's just sandwiches and salad. Tell me about yourself."

She shrugged. "What would you like to know?"

"Do you love Will?"

"Aubrey!" Ellen scolded.

"Sorry." She replied, looking down.

"It's ok." Alicia assured her.

"How is William doing in school?" She asked, changing the subject. "When I ask, I feel like he skirts around the topic. It concerns me."

"Oh. He's good. No, he's great. I feel like I have to force him to study all the time but…" she stopped herself and took a breath. "He's going to be a great lawyer."

"Is law school hard?" asked Aubrey.

"Very hard. We study all the time. When we're not, we're in class." She chuckled when Aubrey made a face of disgust.

"Are all of your classes with my brother?" she nodded. "And you study together? Don't you get sick of him? I would."

"Ok, missy. That's enough out of you. Why don't you go let Oreo in?" Ellen said as she pushed her pouting daughter out of the kitchen. "You could never tell that she worships the ground William walks on."

"That's adorable."

"Don't let her hear you say that. She's at that stage where cute is not cool."

"I'll be sure not to."

"So, my understanding is that you are the reason behind the change in my son."

Alicia stiffened. "Um…"

"I just mean that William seems…content…focused." She stopped cutting the tomatoes in front of her. "You're good for him."

"Mrs…" She paused and smiled, nodding once. "Ellen…Will is a good man. He's smart…dedicated…funny…sweet." Struggling to find the right words to make her point, she placed her hands on the island between them and looked at her. "He…is good for _me_."

Smiling at her, Ellen nodded. "Then I guess it's a good thing that the two of you have found each other."

"Alright, bags all unloaded." Will's voice preceded him into the kitchen. "Leesh," He pointed to her when he walked in. "You're with me. Owen in the den."

Her eyes widened. "Oh…"

"William…" his mother warned.

Chuckling, he put his hands up in defense. "I'm kidding. Your bag is in the guest room." He told her. She glared at him, playfully.

"Oreo! Wait!"

Will turned just in time to greet the black and white Siberian husky as he came bounding into the kitchen with Aubrey chasing him. "Hey buddy!" He stooped to hug the dog and kiss his head. "Did you miss me?" Losing his balance as Oreo jumped on him, licking his face. "Wait, wait." He laughed. "I take that as a yes." He said when he was back on his feet. Looking around him for the dog, he heard Alicia giggle behind him and turned to see Oreo with his front paws on her lap eating a carrot out of her hand.

"He's beautiful." She told them.

"Well…" Ellen breathed. "That's new."

She looked at her, confused.

"Oreo doesn't usually like new people." Sara spoke from the doorway.

Will turned. "Hey sis!"

"Hey little brother!" she hugged him and immediately walked away. "You must be the famous Alicia."

"Leesh, this is my other pain, Sara."

"Hi. Um…" Alicia looked down at her hands as Sara moved Oreo off of her. "I'd shake your hand, but…"

"Here…" Will directed her toward the sink, turning on the water and squirting soap into her hand. "Are you ok?" he whispered and she nodded. "You sure?" she looked at him and smiled. "Can I kiss you?"

She looked away as she rinsed the soap off. "Normally, I'd say yes. But…"

"But?"

"You have dog saliva all over your face."

He gasped, feigning offense. "You don't like that?" He moved closer as she inched away. "Come on. Are you really going to deny me a kiss because Oreo kissed me first?" he joked.

Putting her hand up to stop him from leaning in to kiss her, "Will…" she warned. Bursting into laughter as he lunged for her neck and bit her, she pushed him away, remembering that they were not alone and walked back to join his mother.

"You have a good laugh, Alicia." Ellen told her.

"See? I told you." Will beamed.

Alicia raised her eyebrow, inquisitively as she sat at the table.

"Oh, did you not know that you are the only thing my brother talks about when he calls home?" Sara asked her.

"Funny." Owen piped up. "Will is the only thing Alicia talks about." He teased.

"Shut up, Owen."

Sara giggled. "Then I guess you guys are a match made in heaven." She observed her brother as he sat next to Alicia.

"You guys are in love, aren't you?" Aubrey asked.

"Well, if walls could talk." Owen mumbled, earning a kick under the table from his sister. "Ow!"

Before either of them could reply, Ellen changed the subject. "Sara, did you get everything I asked for?"

"Yes, Mom. What time are we going to start preparing everything for tomorrow?"

"As soon as everyone is settled."

"Alicia, are you going to help us?" Aubrey asked.

"My sister? In the kitchen?" Owen snorted and quickly moved his legs out of Alicia's reach when he saw her glare in his direction. "I…I mean. She's awesome…in the kitchen."

Rolling her eyes at him, she turned her attention back to Aubrey. "Of course I'll help." She turned to Ellen. "Maybe you can teach me some of Will's favorite dishes?" she asked hopefully.

"I'd love to, sweetheart." She turned to Will. "Don't let her go." She told him before standing to find the phone that was now ringing, Aubrey following her.

"Yeah, little brother. Don't screw it up." Sara teased as she started to clear the table.

Will looked at Alicia and smirked. "You guys don't have to worry about that. She's stuck with me."

"See?" Owen whispered next to her as he rose to help. "I told you they would love you. Even the dog."

She smiled before looking at Will, leaning over to whisper. "Ok, Gardner. Now…you can kiss me."

"An Oreo kiss or a regular one?"

She pulled away. "Don't you dare." She warned, laughing as he leaned closer, his tongue sticking out. "Will, st-" His lips on hers cut her off.

"I've never seen my brother like that with anyone." Sara told Owen as they glanced over at them.

"Really? Well, that's all I ever see." He responded. "It's sickening really." He joked.

"They're in love." Ellen whispered from where she stood in the doorway, smiling at the sight of Will and Alicia.


End file.
